visual icon - kat von d

I’ve had something of a girl crush on Kat Von D ever since I first saw her on the Discovery Channel on Miami Ink. Not least because she totally rocks the hoop earring and red lipstick look that I totally love. What’s really awesome is that she also exemplifies my love of tattoos, art, Mexican culture, and rosaries.

I also love her iconic lightning necklace that’s known as her trademark.

Being that she’s a total inspiration, I’ve been totally obsessed with following her webcasts on what inspires her on youtube.

This obsession was started when I read her book High Voltage Tattoo that I got for my birthday.

 

I also love her latest engagement ring – it’s something that totally expresses her personality. Although there has been some backlash in the media due to her being proposed to via twitter, it turned out that it was actually really romantic as she met her fiancé on/via twitter…

 

Max Black / Kat Dennings - my other red lipstick icon

There has always been a soft spot in my heart for curvy brunettes – so was really chuffed to discover Kat Dennings as Max Black on the awesome sitcom 2 Broke Girls.


Her style both on and off the show makes her someone after my own heart as it turns out that I like to dress in a similar way to her...

I guess you could say that in many ways she is one of my modern style inspirations, especially given that she totally rocks the red lipstick and large dangly earrings look…

For those who are really into the dark red lipstick look, apparently the one she wears on the show is Tarte Lipsurgence in Envy.

As I have a tendency of being somewhat fanatical about jewelry and accessories, obviously I had to make a search as to what she wears on the show…

Here’s pics of her necklace and earrings.

Considering how rare her necklace is to find, those who have the budget and inclination should snap this up real quick on etsy.

N.B. In a shout out to my fellow etsians...you can find Max's earrings here too!

T2 Teas - Black Rose tea

For Christmas 2 years ago, I was given a teaset and a bag of sassafras blend tea courtesy of http://tealeaves.com.au/ as they lived in Melbourne. Given that my dad is a total tea nut to the point that he always gets gifts of expensive teas whenever he pops back to China on a business trip - I guess I've completely inherited his penchant for good teas. So was rather disappointed to discover that access to said tea from this particular shop would cost me a flat rate of $9 regardless of the tea (which was also pretty pricey).

As temperatures go up, so does my taste for making iced teas - for which the http://tealeaves.com.au/store/75801-Sassafras-Blend was perfect for. Being fruity without being high in tannin taste. This meant that I needed to source something similar that was a bit closer to home...

Enter http://t2tea.com/tea/scented-flavoured/black/black-rose/ which smelled deliciously fruity strong - an essential point to look for when choosing something to make a fruity iced tea as I really like being able to taste the 'fruity' part.

So all I basically needed to do was go with my tired-and-true method of making the tea in a coffee/tea filter jug with hot water and 3 teaspoons of white sugar. Sit until cool, then bottle and place in the fridge...

Red Lipstick Icons

Having been on something of a self-improvement kick lately, I discovered that in terms of ‘visual appeal’, I’ve had a fascination with red lipstick and hoop earrings. In fact I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect red lipstick ever since my parents gave me permission to wear make-up...

Of course, there was a time where I preferred not to wear make-up at all, due to several traumatic experiences with stage make-up that I was forced to wear in dance shows from the age of 6. Hence, I will never wear anything on my face that makes me feel like I have a layer of paint sitting on it.

This led me into thinking about ladies who inspire me, both in character and style…what they have in common is that they also have a fondness for wearing red lipstick.

The two whom stick out for me the most at the moment are Anais Nin and Frida Kahlo (coincidentally who both also happen to be strong, creative, sensual women). 

My Life in Progress

OK, so I know that I haven’t been on here for a while – part of it, completely forgetting that I had a blog, and the other spending most of my time on facebook.
Still…a lot has happened since then – it’s really amazing how much things can change in a year.
Then again, I now have a new collection of life lessons – OK so some of them, I feel like I wish didn’t happen as they put me through a lot of trouble, but I’m glad I experienced them just the same.

2008-07-28
I’ve been having wake-up calls a lot for the last couple of weeks. At least my life isn’t boring or slow.
1) Even if a girl is best friends with a guy, and they hang out a lot – people automatically assume they are dating (even if you feel that the people thinking that should already know you better than that)
2) When most of the girls you know all have boyfriends, it hits you more and more often how much you’d like to have a boyfriend of your own.
3) Faced with the traumatic stories of relationship woes from girlfriends, I have realised that my ideal relationship is based on being with someone whose personality is compatible with mine. I actually have a pretty good idea of certain basic points.

2008-08-06
Like my realisation after a while that the guy I’ve thought was gorgeous for ages was not for me, I also know now that it actually is possible to be ‘too nice’ to be attractive.

2008-08-11
New policy regarding the stuff in my life – do not purchase the item until I’m sure that the alternative is already available and that I completely LOVE the item, not just because it’s on sale or that it’s the best alternative to what I really wanted at the time.

2008-08-18
My taste in the things I like and wear is heavily affected by the shows I’m watching.

2008-09-28
I realise now why I kept the music video of ‘party people’ with Nelly and Fergie for so long – it’s more due to the fact that Fergie looks so glamorous in the video despite having multiple piercings in each ear – an issue that I now feel that I have.

Bridget Jones Blues

Since i got home from uni, things have been pretty funny at home. i'm almost 20, so my family have started bugging me about getting myself a boyfriend at uni.

it's an interesting situation to be in, as i've wondered what it felt like to be put on the spot like that. it's pretty uncomfortable for me as i'm not really comfortable with the idea of being in a relationship - mainly through watching how my friends act trying to maintain long-distance relationships, and acting all hussy when it turns out that the guy in question has either not contacted them in a long time, or not phoned when he said he would. it seems so strange to me, to have ur happiness depend upon the behaviour of another human being.

it led to a pretty funny conversation between me and my brother though...

Me: OK, how would u feel if i really did get myself a boyfriend and brought him home to meet u? u do know that if i do have a boyfriend i'll be doing all sorts of couply things with him, you know? like kissing, marriage and kids?
my brother: No! i find it really hard to imagine you married, and i don't feel i'm ready to be an uncle. maybe u should wait another ten years before getting yourself a boyfriend?

funny statement or what? he's stopped asking me why i haven't got a boyfriend since that exchange. of course, the reply from him was pretty much what i'd expected seeing as he's only 11.

how do most people react when they are put on the spot like that?

still, seeing as my parents hate homosexual people - for reasons that i can never understand - it seems like they've handed me a perfect way to give both of them a heart attack. not that i ever would, mind you, but it is kinda interesting imagining their reactions if i ever uttered the phrase that both of them hope never to hear!